I wouldn't go as far as to say that Age Of Empires II is the most addictive game on the planet, but I can certainly see myself playing it on a regular basis, at least until the next game appears in a couple of years' time -which I'm sure it will.ДЇirst impressions, then, are a bit 'been-there, done-that'. Then, as the hours rolled by, I gradually warmed to its hidden charms. I actually blurted out - to my eternal shame - something along the lines that it was a bit shit. Initially, after just a few hours of dabbling with the game, indulging in a spot of one-player skirmishes or dipping a toe into one of the five single-player campaigns, I wasn't too impressed. And if Ensemble Studios' Age Of Empires IIis anything to go by, Microsoft's next batch of games are going to be even better. Significantly, in fact, since Age Of Empires, Microsoft's steady stream of entertainment applications has generally been of a very high quality. No matter what gripes you have over Internet Explorer, DirectX or Windows, Microsoft's games have come on leaps and bounds since they released that soccer game a few years back. William H Gates III may well be the stepson of Satan, but by the horns of his adopted father, the boy's done all right for himself. They may not be as sharp or as detailed as a modern real time strategy game, but you can still easily tell what everything is supposed to be in this game which is all you can really ask for. Even with that being said, I feel the visuals hold up fairly well. Still Some CharmДЄs I write this, we are talking about a game that is the better part of 20 years old. It is really up to you how you go about trying to prove your might in this game. Other players might like to take a more balanced approach or go for something that is more defensive. This means I have to rise very quickly and get my units up to speed as quickly as I can. I am the kind of player that likes to steamroll my enemies before they have a chance to get too powerful. Rule The World Your WayДЄ huge part of what makes this such a popular game is that it is up to you how you play it. It is this kind of gameplay that makes this such an addictive game for me. It is a delicate balancing act and really requires you to think about how you go about things on the battlefield. The way the battles work is very clever in that each unit can crush another type, but there is also a counter for each unit. The British can expert bowmen and the Franks can do heavy damage with throwing axes for example. At a glance, it may look like there are only subtle differences, but the differences are quite deep. It is very impressive how the Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings not only has 18 different civilizations in the game but how different they each are. There is a fantastic sense of progression in the campaign and everything makes perfect sense. The final age in the game is The Imperial Age and this is a far cry to what you were doing in the dark ages! You now can have an elite city with paladins that can kick some major butt. You then advance to the Castle Age and here you can build, well castles and more advanced weaponry and fortifications. After this, you move onto the Feudal Age where you now have warriors and can start advancing your вЂњtechnologyвЂќ where you can have stuff like chainmail armor and wheels for moving stuff. You will be starting off in the dark ages where you have next to nothing and are constantly fighting for survival.

As is the case with most other strategy games of this type, Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings spans multiple вЂњagesвЂќ as you progress through the game.

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